Agneepath becomes biggest first day opener!

By Hindustan Times

Karan Johar's modern version of Agneepath has broken all records to become the biggest opener ever. According to the latest trade reports, the film has garnered Rs 25 crore, beating the opening collections of Salman Khan's Bodyguard (Rs 21.6 cr).

Unlike the 1990 film, which only got critical acclaim and not box-office return, the remake is veering towards the road of success, if trade pundits are to be believed.

"The film, which stars Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra and Rishi Kapoor, made Rs. 25 crore (all-India net collection) on its first day at the box-office, January 26, 2012. This is an all-time record," writes trade guru Komal Nahta in his blog koimoi.com.

"As figures are still flowing in, it remains to be seen if Agneepath will break the record for the highest collections in a day, held by Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One (Rs. 25.10 crore; for all three versions). In fact, if you consider only the collections of the Hindi version of Ra.One, the record for the highest collections in a day has already been broken by Agneepath," adds Nahta.

The film has also been getting good collections from abroad. "Agneepath opened in parts of Overseas on Thursday. Australia Thu A$ 75,403 on 14 screens. Excellent!" tweeted trade expert Taran Adarsh.

Hrithik, who stepped into the shoes of megastar Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay, is excited that his hard work has paid off.

"WOW!!!! THANK u THANK u THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! Agneepath 1st day - 25cr!!!! My damaged bodyparts suddenly feel ALIVE, I feel like I can FLY now!!! Thank u people, I have the fuel now to make KRRISH EXPLODE!!!!" Hrithik wrote on his Twitter page.

Sanjay Dutt and the film's lead actress Priyanka Chopra, are equally delighted with the positive response, and have thanked fans for the amazing response to the film.

"'Agneepath has redefined the power of Indian box office for all of us. It's heartening to see the strength of the Indian cinema audiences growing like this. We all were very confident of the film but for this kind of success and unprecedented number that it has posted on day one we must thank our audience," said Priyanka.

Sanjay took to Twitter after a year, to share his sentiments about the appreciation towards the movie, and his role as the villain, Kancha Cheena.

"I am overwhelmed with the response and support of everyone. Thank you for loving me so much," he wrote.

"The film has had an excellent opening. The occupancy was around 95 percent. It was the most eagerly awaited and would be one of the biggest blockbuster," said Anant Verma, director and business head, DT Cinemas.

However, he says it would be unfair to compare the new "Agneepath" with the original as they have been given a completely different treatment.

"You can't compare the two films as they are shot differently and have different characters also. There is no connection between the two other than just the name," he added.

Yogesh Raizada of Waves Cinema adds that all the characters have done complete justice to their characters.

"The response to the film has been rocking on first day. We have had 90 percent occupancy. All the actors have done complete justice to their characters whether it is Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala, Hrithik as Vijay or Sanjay as Kancha Cheena," said Raizada.

The film, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra, and produced by Karan Johar, is expected to have a successful run at the box office in the coming days.

"Since there is no big movie releasing in the coming weeks, the film will work well," he added.